Subaru Crew Cafe

ateixeira

My wife tried it, and mostly liked it. There are some trade-offs, though, like not having other professionals around to chat with.

Of course, that's probably why you're on-line!

-juice

rsholland

lack of camaraderie is a big issue.

Bob

kens

Thanks for the input on the routers. It seems as though Linksys is the most popular. How's the AP signal strength and sensitivity on the Linksys compared to others?

It's confusing since there are quite a few brands out there! Mike -- I appreciate the links. They were helpful. Anymore like that?

Ken

jfl

As I know several of you use Macs, I've encountered a recent problem and perhaps some of you can provide some insight.

My Imac has moved to college with my daughter. I'm now using an ibook at home. The problem is that my average "Apple Remote Access" time is about 3 minutes with the ibook. It keeps disconnecting me!

Fortunately,(or unfortunately) I have a PC that I can use from work to access...but that doesn't help my othsr daughter when I've dragged it to work and she can't IM efficiently with her friends.

TIA.

Jim

rangerron7

Good luck with the new toy.
I'm definitely envious!
Ron

locke2c

I wouldn't recommend it at least on the common 802.11b. This band is especially juicy because the extremely popular x10 wireless cams use a version of it. Do a little reading here: http://www.netstumbler.com/

802.11a is a little safer for now but it's only a matter of time.

Just do it wired and wait for a new, more secure and robust wireless standard.

-Colin

rsholland

I'm on a MAC too (G4). Unfortunately I'm not a "techie," so I don't have an answer for you. Sorry...

Bob

grahampeters

G'day

Given that a fair few of you are Techies, have any had experience of implementing Navision accounting software. I've been leant on to Project Manage a "Poison Challice" job (people issues) which would be fine if the software side is okay but would be hell if not. The Hardware side is now well sorted so that's one less piece of grief.

I'd prefer a life where I get to enjoy myself and get out in the bush in the Outback occassionally (vain attempt to keep it Subaru related) but suspect this may not be on the cards.

Any thoughts?

Cheers

Graham

paisan

Didn't realize the top of the trunk is fiberglass. Tried to put my Mag Mount antenna on there and it didn't stick!

Took it up to 120 today before I got nervous with the brakes being totally gone! The rest of the drive I was doing about 80-90 w/o even realizing it. It's very scary how comfortable the car feels at speed.

-mike

rsholland

http://community.webshots.com/photo/48752686/48752826LQDxln

locke2c

Graham,

Nothing is off-topic here in the Cafe!

We use Oracle Financials. Well, truth be told we have a bazillion accounting apps, but the "real" books are on OF.

I'd prefer a life of getting paid large sums of money to race motorcycles. :-D

-Colin

lark6

I've been gone for a week, on business in Michigan, and have spent the last couple of hours catching up on posts. I'll probably miss more posts and chats over the next 2 months as business takes me to North Carolina, Massachusetts and Puerto Rico. As you can imagine there were very few import cars on Michigan roads, though a good many of them were base model Foresters.

Future Models continues down the perfromance Forester and Legacy paths. The new-gen Forester STi looks to be as much of a blast as the previous one, though again I'm not a fan of the lowered suspension and fast-and-furious body skirts. Lowering the Forester defeats much of its purpose IMO.

I set up a 45K service appointment at Flemington Subaru, based on Dennis' (blueblacksubie) and others' recommendations. It was to have been today until a sheepish service employee called to tell me that they forgot they'd be closed today for the Labor Day holiday. I'll take it in next Saturday.

I'm becoming more ambivalent about my next Subaru purchase. I want something with better acceleration and passing power than the Forester but I also want a car with a transmission that, if not fully automatic, will at least allow me the option of not having to row the gears in Northeast Corridor traffic all the time. If no Sportshift is available in the car of interest, I will go with a full automatic over a full manual, machismo and gas mileage be damned. Based on the overwhelmingly negative response to the AT-equipped WRX - even Dennis, who strongly considered one, went the manual route - I have my doubts as to why Subaru even bothered to build it, much less whether it's a viable option for me. Hopefully I will be able to test drive an automatic WRX as well as a Sportshift-equipped Legacy GT at Flemington and judge for myself. Maybe there'll be something more to my liking by late '03 - early '04 but I'm not going to fritter away my time speculating about it.

I did sign up for the Chase MasterCard and will be cancelling the MBNA card. At the very least I will be able to save on parts and service, if not earn enough to put a dent in a down payment.

Mike Smith: I'll have to read "Where the Suckers Moon" before long. I spend far more time these days working with marketing people than I ever hoped or wanted to, so it will help to understand their psyches.

Ed

miksmi

Graham,

Sorry, I don't have experience with Navision.

Ed,

You'll enjoy "Where the Suckers Moon". It's sometimes dry, but I was facinated to read about the creative process of Subaru commercials that I stuck in my mind when I was younger, well before I became a car nut.

..Mike

lilbluewgn02

I have absolutely no complaints about my automatic...some lag down low (as we all are aware of), but after that, it's all systems go!..I've even scared myself a couple of times how fast I've gone from 50 mph to almost 100 mph going over a hill here locally (since there are no hills here in Florida, I'm lying...it was actually an overpass, but a big one...almost feels like you're getting above sea level!)

rsholland

Just went to an "e-motion" event, only this one was by MB...

http://www.subaru.co.jp/emotion/

Bob

miksmi

I sent you a message at yahoo. If the address in your profile is old, please send me a message (address in my profile).

..Mike

rsholland

I stumbled across this. As we all know, "Utes" (car-based pickups), are very popular in Oz. Here's Ford's latest. The pickup bed (tray, in Oz-speak) sides seem rather tall, in relationship to the cab and hoodline, which suggests a bed/tray that has good depth.

Bob

http://www.autoweb.com.au/start_/showall_/id_FOR/doc_for0208011/article.html

grahampeters

G'day

Bob is right. The new Ford Falcon Ute is deeper than normal. In addition, it is not strictly a "Ute" as the tray is separated from the cab. However, this is a semantic issue which is unlikely to offend Australians. We tend to look at the practicality - here the issue is one of production economics with a cab-chassis and separate tray clearly being sensible. It allows for the fitment of other bodies without major drama.

The Holden alternative remains a combined cab and tray unit. The lines flow better but otherwise, I can't see much difference.

Cheers

Graham

leo2633

Just curious...wasn't the original early 60's Ford Ranchero based on the Falcon? I owned a '69 Falcon back in the 70's, but it was the 4 door sedan model. I know that the original Mustang was based on the Falcon chassis.

Len

bluesubie

If my new tags come in this week, maybe I'll catch you in Flemington. Then you can compare an auto WRX to a halfway broken in manual one. :-)

Regardless, just ask for Alex (in the showroom)and tell him you're bluesubie's distant cousin. You would probably enjoy chatting with Ridge as well. He has a corner desk at the back wall and is the co-owner. He's a fan of old cars (has an old Porsche, MG, 2 BRAT's, etc.) and loves to talk Scooby.

-Dennis

ateixeira

Graham: Park Ranger? Life guard? Fisherman? Honda Racing Development had an ad in Autoweek, but you needed a degree in MechE plus experience in a racing crew.

I'm going to retire and sell ice cream on the beach. Don't care where or how much I earn, just want to do it for fun, to bring smiles to kids' faces.

Or maybe join Raman Lageman's crew.

mike: does the fiberglass sag like old Corvettes? Hope not!

That 4Runner grille looks a bit odd. They should just copy the GX470, which is a looker.

Ed: the new Forester turbo is supposed to have better low end torque, so it might mate well to an auto, who knows. An H6 GT may be for you, though.

Serge: just a heads-up, the Washington Post is going to have a special Employment Section soon, this week or next. Keep an eye out, lots and lots of local jobs will be advertised.

I noticed that seperate bed, too, Graham.

-juice

lilbluewgn02

Thanks...I'll look for it. Is it going to be an on-line thing or real paper?
Serge

ateixeira

Both probably? They've been hyping it lately.

I think people come back from vacations and the hiring season begins. At least I hope so.

-juice

lark6

Still catching up.

Dennis: My appt. is at 9:00 am Saturday. Old car chat can be fun; I showed the Stude yesterday (and actually got a couple of People's Choice votes[!], though no trophy) and spent a good bit of time talking with a guy who was showing a '69 Mercedes 300 SEL 6.3 sedan. What a beast! I have been toying with the idea of selling the Stude, scraping up some $ and buying a late '60's 250SL or 280SL, but I'd have to do a LOT of scraping to get a decent one. I love my Lark but I really need a fun car with a back seat - even if it's a single little folding jump seat like the SL's.

Everyone else: I posted a message in the Tri-State Forum at i-club seeking feedback on potential Sunday backroads drive dates in PA. Late September - early October time frame.

Ed

kens

mike: Got your messages in my Yahoo account. It's still good, I just don't check it as often as I used to.

Ed: I think you and I are in similar camps although I have a lot less traffic to deal with so I would be okay with sticking to MT. The AT factor would be weighed in more for the wife.

Keep us (or at least me!) informed on your impressions of the GT Sport-shift and the AT WRX. Aside from the facelift rumors, I've also read over at i-club that the 2003 (2004 US) WRX will have a redone exhaust to help improve low end torque.

Ken

ateixeira

Really? If the face lift looks good, I bet there's a surge in demand. I know of several people that want one but don't like the looks.

-juice

locke2c

I made a short 150 mile jaunt to Oklahoma City this weekend to visit friends I hadn't seen in a few years. (shame on me, they're so close.)

The drive is largely boring, and my visit extremely relaxing (and thus boring to y'all) but the drive back was worthy of note for my fellow carnuts.

The speed limit on I-35 is 70 mph in both Oklahoma and Kansas, and between Edmond and Stillwater I was doing 75-77 mph and making good time. Just north of the Stillwater exit, I see a car coming up from behind fairly quickly and think when I see the grill "that's a Bentley... nah." (they aren't commonly seen in this part of Doodah.)

It was a Bentley, an Armitage of some variety, and it was doing 90-100 mph all the way to the South terminal of the Kansas Turnpike... with an M3 riding about six car lengths back. :-D

A few miles into following him, I realized that someone driving a $200k (or more) car probably doesn't care about things like speeding tickets. I had a fleeting thought to slow down since I do care about them, but I naively thought I'd either slow down very quickly --compared to a 5000lb Bentley, no problem-- or just pay my dues if I did get caught.

I made that 150 miles in under 2 hours including a stop for gas 2 miles from home and got 25.5 mpg on the tank. I might've seen 27 mpg or more if not for that highway travel at 4k rpm!

-Colin

lucien2

that's great; I've never seen one on the road. BTW, that's "Arnage."

locke2c

oops! well, if it wasn't obvious I hadn't seen one before either. :-D

-Colin

ateixeira

"If you can't spell it, you can't afford it..."

A twist of the old, "if you have to ask the price" saying.

I just love, love to find a rabbit to follow on long trips. I've been to Florida (Tampa/Orlando) several times and usually can find a Bimmer 7 series to follow from way back, though eventually they'll just take off. Once followed a CRX for hours at 80+, it was sweet.

-juice

paisan

Some of my buddies and I usually try to get a vette or BMW all steamed up so that they feel the need to show us how fast they can go, and just let them be the bear bait Always a good thing.

-mike

kens

It's funny how there's a pretty big difference around the country in the speed people "normally" travel vs. the posted limit.

Out here, doing 80mph on the freeway with the legal posted limit at 65 is pretty routine. In fact, the left lane on my daily commute moves at 80-85, sometimes hitting patches of 90. On highway 5 driving down to LA, you can pretty much average 85+ until you hit greater LA traffic.

I can understand how suprising that can be to folks out in the East Coast. When I used to live there, I thought driving at 70 was a big deal!

Ken

paisan

runs at about 80 during rush hour.

-mike

p0926

On I-285 in Atlanta, the left most lane averages 75-80 with the occasional 90+ with each subsequent lane to the right averaging 5 mph slower. So the slowest cars are going 60-65 in the right most lane of a 4 lane hwy where the posted limit is 55!

-Frank P.

kate5000

the left lane on my daily commute moves at 80-85, sometimes hitting patches of 90

or until it hits the CHP ambush... I've known folks cited for doing 70 MPH in 65 zone. Usually motorcycle cops are the worst (those hemorroids you know :-).

But generally speaking I-280 that Ken refers to is a good commute. On my route (I-880) I'm lucky to hit 40...

ateixeira

On the DC beltway, it's 10 over, more or less. With a 55 limit, you're talking 65-70 or so, and you will have to slow down often, so forget about cruise.

I-95 north of town has a 65 limit, but people still go 70-75 it seems. Some go faster, but the flow isn't that fast, so again cruise isn't that helpful.

And BTW I'm talking about the LEFT lane, not the middle lanes.

I recall driving on the turnpike on my trip to CT and enjoyed driving unusually fast, 80 at times. And people were flashing to pass. Probably paisan, LOL.

It was enough of a difference that my mileage goes down a bit.

-juice

paisan

I love having 4 bulbs for my headlights instead of the combo ones. The headlights on the SVX are great for flash to pass

-mike

jfl

Frank - How come traffic on the roads I drive always has some turtle in the third lane? With cars doing 80-90 on the fast lane, you've got to pass this guy on the right!!!

Jim

lucien2

Some crap TV show I was watching back in June (news as entertainment, ya know) was a special on "aggressive drivers." the lead-in was something like..."they're out there, flashing their lights in your mirror, causing havoc on our nations roads,,,,"etc etc. Geez. I guess that makes the entire continent of Europe on big bundle of road rage.

Speeds- I find the B-W corridor of 95 moves around 80 in the left lane, 70 or so elsewhere. But the sheer volume of traffic precludes anything faster OR using cruise. I have also noticed (i.e. not a scientific approach) more cell phone users blocking traffic in the passing lane of late.

Usually in an SUV too, I might add.

ateixeira

What is unsafe is clogging up the passing lane at slower-than-the-flow speeds.

The left lane isn't even the fast lane, it's the passing lane. They should write tickets for anyone using it that is not passing.

-juice

rsholland

http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/roadtests/firstdrive/73408/article.html

ateixeira

Not a bad review. Reminds me of the Baja in some ways, isn't that strange?

-juice

rsholland

I got my latest issue of Automobile magazine in the mail today. Toward the rear, there was a small blurb/pix on a BMW Multi-Trailer, which I had never heard of before.

Being a BMW product, it is fascinating in detail. Fore example:

• It has hydraulic brakes (not electric, or surge-type).

• It has an independent suspension!

• It comes with Pirelli P4000 tires.

• Can be had as a motorcycle carrier, or a closed van-type carrier.

• Motorcycle ramp slides into compartment under the floor.

• The tail lights look like they're from an older 5-Series BMW

Here are some links on the BMW Multi-Trailer:

http://www.geocities.com/bmw_bike_rider/side.html

http://www.geocities.com/bmw_bike_rider/ramp.html

http://www.geocities.com/bmw_bike_rider/back.html

This link shows the van configuration, as well as the bike version.

http://www.bmw.se/pages/service/multitrailer.jsp

Being BMW, it's expensive. Prices start around $3,600. The bike trailer as shown, with ramp, is around $4,800.

I've often hoped Subaru would offer a flexible-use, tailor-made trailer for Subaru vehicles; although one the average guy can afford. I still hope someday we may see one.

Bob

paisan

Surge = Hydrolic

But I could be wrong.

-mike

rsholland

Could be; I don't know enough about it to comment. Anybody know for sure?

The Automobile magazine article said that the trailer was "gloriously over-engineered" (or words to that effect), so I suspect differently. I wonder if the trailer brakes are somehow hooked into the tow vehicle's brake system?

Bob

rsholland

I see it now has some sort of stability control, most likely in response to the roll-over issue, that CR encountered last year.

Bob

http://www.auto-asia.com/viewcontent.asp?pk=7441

rsholland

Look familiar? It's based on the all-new Lexus GX470 and Toyota 4-Runner, but sold overseas.

Bob

http://motioncars.com/autobuzz/articles23/2003_landcruiser.html

rsholland

for those who delight in Subie oddities...

Bob

http://www.subaru.co.jp/sambar/index.html

rsholland

Interesting that Forester sales are up 4%, and that Impreza sales are down 4%.

Bob

http://vocuspr.vocus.com/vocuspr30/xsl/subaru/Profile.asp?Entity=PRAsset&EntityID=24022&XSL=PressRelease&Title=Releases

ateixeira

Bob: remember the huge wheels on that Monty show car? I wonder what size is standard now.

I think the Prado basically is the LX470.

That Sambar is so tall and narrow, I bet it would handle better on its side! LOL

Best Legacy sales ever? Wow, and it's not a new model. No surprise about the new Forester. I bet people are waiting to see the Impreza face-lift.

BMW Trailer? Cool. Dude, you gotta get some 17" alloy wheels, then trade that wood for carbon fiber, lower it and put on bigger sways. The BMW M Trailer!

I think it's kind of funny, the concept of a luxury trailer. You expect to see a big pickup hauling that stuff, is all.

It would be cool to see Subaru creating a partnership with a trailer maker to sell customized trailers. Imagine being able to use your Subaru bucks.

-juice